pneumatic carving hammer

["John VanCamp" <jvcstnwrks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sandra. I'll try to answer some of your specific questions.
First, the size of the compressor depends on the size of the
hammer.  However, I pushed a 3/4 inch short stroke for years
with a 2hp 20 gal tank portable compressor that generated
about 5.5 cubic feet of air at 90 psi.  Today, I am using a
5hp two stage compressor that is capable of pushing 3
hammers at the same time, and often does.  The compressor is
fitted with a "quick connect"  and generally you will have
one on the hose end for the hammer to connect to.

Places such as home depot can fix you up with all of this
stuff, or an auto parts store. Get ahold of the people at
Trow and Holden.  They have a start up kit consisting of a
1/2 or 3/4 short stroke hammer, 3 carving chisels (carbide
tipped) and a short length of hose that has the fittings on
each end and a  valve to control the amount of air getting
to the hammer.  A 3/4 inch hammer is a good general purpose
hammer, Large enough to do some serious rough in, but not so
large that you can't do some nice detail work with it also.
Probably 80% of my carving is done with this sized hammer,
and only about 5% with a smaller hammer.

I can't speak for the alabaster as I don't work with it, but
it will carve the daylights out of most marble,  limestone,
sandstone, and we've been using them on some Virginia
soapstone also.  Personally, I like the carbide tipped
chisels, but I do use quite a few tool steel chisels also.
Also, please remember that the chisel does not attach to the
hammer...You have to hold on to it.  Most of us into
pneumatics can tell stories on ourselves about chisels
flying over the banker and hitting the floor because we
momentarily forgot to do that.

Hope that this helps, and you are not even more confused.  And I
bet if you ask around, there is a monument shop or something in
your neck of the woods where they use tools of this nature.

Good luck, John VanCamp